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<title>Believer by Reed_Zone_Alert (Eliza_Reed), SupernaturalJoinTheHunt</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23891698">Believer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliza_Reed/pseuds/Reed_Zone_Alert'>Reed_Zone_Alert (Eliza_Reed)</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupernaturalJoinTheHunt/pseuds/SupernaturalJoinTheHunt'>SupernaturalJoinTheHunt</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Canon goes out the window, Canon? Never Heard of Them, F/M, Humor, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Clint Barton, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Romance, STRANGE IS BABY, Stephen Strange is Baby (not literally but you know what I mean), Stephen Strange is a Good Bro, They Still Have a Looong Ways to Go, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony and Steve are Definitely Not on Good Terms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:13:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,349</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23891698</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliza_Reed/pseuds/Reed_Zone_Alert, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupernaturalJoinTheHunt/pseuds/SupernaturalJoinTheHunt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper abruptly quits her job and breaks up with Tony with no explanation as to why. It's a few months later that Happy hires Emily Rogers, daughter of Steve Rogers. Tony quickly falls for her and vice versa, but the question is... will they always be together? Or will the wounds of their pasts and threats from the future tear them apart?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tony Stark/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Lights</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Eliza: Although this roleplay/story was finished ages ago, only the four chapters you see here have been revised so far. I will try to edit and post the remaining chapters in a timely fashion, but who knows if that's even remotely possible.</p><p>Anyways, enjoy! 😸😸😸😸</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Eliza: This story was actually originally a roleplay that a fellow Quotev authour named Mousie and I did a while back. Anyway, long story short, we're posting it as a story. Also, I didn't know nearly as much about the MCU as I do now, so you will see a lot of differences from the MCU continuity (for example, the AI Jarvis)- which is why this story is considered AU. Anyway, I had a lot of fun doing this roleplay with Mousie, and hopefully you guys have just as much fun reading! :)</p><p>Oh, one last thing, Mousie owns Emily Rogers, not me, okay?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Emily became Tony's new assistant after Pepper quit and left without even an explanation. Happy had hired her after a very long search for a new assistant for Tony Stark. Needless to say, it was extremely difficult considering about ninety percent of the candidates were half-crazed Tony Stark fans, but Happy eventually pulled through.</p><p>Emily walks in and looks around. She stops in her tracks, her jaw comically dropped at the sight around her. White, marble walls stretching from floor to ceiling. Clear crystalline windows so clean that Emily might have thought that they are brand new. Shiny tile floors, intricate light fixtures... and to top it off, the latest in Stark Industries' tech.  "This place is amazing...." she murmurs softly as she stares in awe.</p><p>Happy rushes over to her, his eyes imperceptibly wide with anxiety. "You're the new assistant, right?"</p><p>Emily nods, offering him a pleasant smile in the hopes of possibly reassuring him. "Emily Rodgers. Nice to meet ya." She holds out her hand for Happy to shake.</p><p>Happy lets out a breath of relief and shakes her hand. "Happy Hogan. Nice to meet you too, Emily." He then begins giving her a tour of Stark Industries. Every time she asks a question (which is a lot), Happy can't help but smile. Emily clearly has an insatiable curiosity about... well, everything. <em>Maybe this could work out after all</em>, Happy thinks. After the tour he tells her, "You'll have to act like a mother to Tony. He can be a bit...well, like a man-child sometimes. Actually, he's like that most of the time."</p><p>Emily nods, chuckling gently in amusement. "I think I can handle him. Thanks for the tour, Happy." Happy smiles and leads her to her office. Then he leaves to tell Tony the good (good for Happy, not so good for Tony) news. She smiles and places her bag on her desk. Her office is bigger than most (no doubt one of the many benefits of working with Tony Stark) and had lots of little shelves stacked along the back wall, perfect for filing. In a corner by a tall lamp, adjacent to the door, sat a medium-sized safe. The walls of the office were made of wood, stained a reddish-brown colour. The desk, too, is made of wood- constructed from heavy oak and painted a deep burgundy. All in all, the office felt very comfortable. Almost... homey. </p><p>Maybe things are finally starting to turn around for Emily.</p><hr/><p>Tony sits in his lab at his usual worktable, working on a new invention while AC/DC's <em>Back in Black</em> album blares over the speakers on a continuous loop. Or rather, he was trying to. The little gimmick kept breaking down on him every time he turned it on. "What's the matter with this thing?" he mutters in frustration, prodding at the device lamely with a screwdriver.</p><p>Happy knocks on the door. "Tony, your new assistant is here."</p><p>Emily rounds the corner, a stack of files tucked in her arms. She spots Happy and smiles softly at him. "Oh, hey, Happy."</p><p>Happy looks at her and waves her over as he opens the door to Tony's workshop. "Emily! Glad you're here." Then he looks back at Tony. "That's her, your new assistant. I hired her for you yesterday. Now be nice to her. The last thing I need is to find another letter of resignation on <em>my</em> desk." With that, Happy walks away.</p><p>Tony glances up from his work table, irritated by the distraction from his work. "Aren't I supposed to be the one giving the orders around here?" Then he shakes his head wearily. He studies Emily for a moment, scrutinizing her from head to toe. She was pretty enough, he supposed. Her eyes showed no indication of even the slightest intimidation. <em>Well well well. </em>"I don't suppose <em>you</em> have any experience in technology, do you?"</p><p>"Actually, I <em>do</em>, Mister Stark. Would you like me to help you?" Emily asks, setting her files aside on the worktable. </p><p>Tony smiles slightly. "I guess I could use the help. My suit was damaged in my last battle and it's pretty much useless now. This device I'm working on is supposed to help fix it, but it keeps breaking down. And... I hate to say this, but I... don't know why." The superhero then glances up at the ceiling. "Jarvis. Forget I ever said that. Ever."</p><p>"Already done, sir," Jarvis replies, sly amusement evident in the A.I.'s voice.</p><p>Tony looks back at Emily. "So... any thoughts?" He shows her the device as he asks.</p><p>Emily smiles at Jarvis and Tony. She steps closer to the table and gently picks up the device, her eyes taking in every detail. It was small and thin, its design somewhat reminiscent of Tony's arc reactor. She turns it over and carefully pulls off a panel. "Ah I think I see what the issue is..." She pulls out a few wires and then blows into the now-exposed tiny sockets. Then she plugs them back in. "Always check for dust, among other things, before you plug something in. It'll improve the connection and prevent an electrical fire."</p><p>Tony stares at her, wide-eyed. "I can't believe I didn't think of that! Maybe I won't kick Happy's butt later after all." He takes the device from Emily's hands and attaches it to his suit. It takes off the suit's plating and starts to mess around with the damaged areas.</p><p>Tony turns back to Emily. "Thanks for the help, Miss...?"</p><p>Emily looks up at Tony, "Miss Rogers, but please call me Emily. And no, before you assume, me and my dad are nothing alike. In other words, please don't kick me out." She smiles sheepishly.</p><p>Tony gives her a surprised expression. "Spangles didn't tell me he had a daughter." Then he smiles and says, "You're right, you two <em>are</em> nothing alike. You look a lot less like a Capsicle." <em>And you didn't bash my arc reactor to pieces with a vibranium shield. Steve did.</em> He sticks his hand out for her to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Emily. And you can call me Tony. 'Mister Stark' makes me sound old."</p><p>Emily chuckles as she shakes his hand. "Aren't you in your thirties or forties though?"</p><p>Tony shrugs. "Yeah. P- er, my previous assistant asked me the same thing when I first hired her." He still feels the ache in his heart from Pepper leaving and decides then on talking about something else. He checks his watch and asks, "Say, you wanna grab a bite to eat? I've been so busy I haven't had a decent meal in days and a cheeseburger would be nice right now. Just been eating blueberries and week-old snackbars for the past month... or maybe they're a year or two old. Honestly, I never check the dates."</p><p>Tony trails off as he stares at Emily's smile. S<em>he's... well, she's pretty</em>, he thought. Her smile wasn't pearly white, he noted. More like... freshly fallen snow.</p><p>Emily tucks a strand of her blond hair behind her ear. "Sure, why not? It's almost lunch time anyway."</p><p>Tony smiles. "Great! Oh- I just thought of something! Do you happen to like shwarma?"</p><p>Emily looks at Tony as if he asked a silly question. "Do monkeys like bananas? Yes, I <em>love</em> shwarma!!"</p><p>"I know a great shwarma place just down the road," Tony says excitedly. Finally, someone who loves shwarma as much as he! Tony glances at his suit. The device is about done repairing it. "And we're gonna go in style."</p><p>"I have the perfect outfit I can wear. Lemme run to my office so I can change...." Emily races to her office and tears open her bag. Luckily she always brought spare clothes with her for emergencies. She comes back to Tony in a striking dress with heels. "Is this what you meant by going in style?" She asks, embarrassed. This outfit isn't too different from the one she was wearing earlier. A little fancier maybe.</p><p>Either way, Tony is in for a shock. As soon as he turns to look at her, his jaw quite literally drops. Forget pretty- she was hot! "That's... you're..."</p><p>Emily looks at him with a slightly worried expression. "Too much....?" The last thing she needed was to screw up her job on the first day.</p><p>"No, no, you're fine," Tony says hurriedly. He realises that taking her to the shwarma place while wearing the Iron Man suit might be a bit... well, awkward. That was exactly the kind of thing he'd have done for Pepper, had they still been together. <em>Emily's </em>not<em> Pepper... and it's too soon, anyway.</em></p><p>"Um, let me get into something real quick..." He hurries upstairs to his bedroom and gets changed into one of his usual suits. Then he heads back down to his lab, fiddling nervously- <em>N</em><em>ervous? I'm not nervous!-</em> with the tie. "This okay?"</p><p>Emily smiles and looks at him, taking in the details. "Yep. You're good."</p><p>"Alright, let's go," Tony says. He picks up his car keys and presses the button for the autostart. He leads Emily to one of his cars in the garage below the lab. The car- a sleek Ferrari- is a shiny, bright red with streaks of yellow flames. "Have a seat."</p><p>Emily takes one look at his car and practically falls in love with it, her hands gently brushing the shiny red hood as she gazes in awe. "O... M... G! This is such a beautiful car. I wish I had one like this..." She smiles enthusiasticly and gets in in the vehicle.</p><p>Just as she gets in, Tony spots one of his robots hanging around some of the older cars a ways away. It's Dum-E, who had a fire extinguisher in its claws. Thankfully the bot hadn't seen them yet.</p><p><em>Oh... crap,</em> Tony thinks. He gets into the car and whispers to Emily, "I'm going to drive out of here really fast, okay? I'll explain in a minute. Just... don't freak out."</p><p>"I street race for fun, fast is my game, hun," Emily says, smirking with amusement at her rhyme.</p><p>Tony smiles at her line and puts the key in the ignition. He turns it and the engine starts. Dum-E perks up and turns to see the hot rod Ferrari pulling out swiftly, squealing and leaving black skid marks in its wake. The robot chases after the car for a full minute, waving its fire extinguisher frantically, but is left in the dust.</p><p>Tony looks at Emily as the car exits the garage into the sunlit streets. "Rule number one about working in Stark Tower- never trust any of my robots no matter how cute they look. I saw one in the garage with a fire extinguisher. I call him Dum-E. His sense of humour knows no bounds."</p><p>Emily bursts out laughing at the statement. "It sounds a bit like you, Tony. Except you're not a dummy, obviously."</p><p>Tony starts laughing too. "Yeah. One time I tried to get him to make a chocolate cake for me. And <em>that</em> was a bad idea. Apparently we'd run out of whipped cream, and so Dum-E got the <em>great</em> idea to substitute with the help of a fire extinguisher. Come to think of it... he likes using fire extinguishers for a lot of things."</p><p>Emily laughs and looks at Tony. "That's hilarious!" She smiles softly in amusement. "I could you make you a chocolate cake later tonight if you want. It won't be as good as my dad's, but I'm still a pretty good baker. Maybe Happy will want some too."</p><p>Tony smiles. "Sounds great! And I'll keep an eye on Dum-E and make sure he doesn't go anywhere near the kitchen." Tony's feelings are a whirlwind right now. He's pretty sure he's got a crush on Emily. And who wouldn't? She was not only hot, but smart. Smart enough to where she found the simplest solution to what Tony believed to be a complex issue.</p><p><em>I've got to slow down. She's just my assistant. Nothing more,</em> Tony thought.<em> It's too soon... too soon... </em>But his heart is saying otherwise. Tony pulls off in a parking lot in front of a cute little restaurant about a dozen metres away. "We're here!" Tony announces.</p><p>Emily's eyes twinkle as she gets out and looks over at the restaurant. "Awww it's so cute!" She continues to admire the little resturant, her eyes sparkling with happiness. She hasn't felt this good since that time her dad took her to Lego Land for her birthday last year.</p><p>Tony smiles as he gets out. "Yeah. The other Avengers and I ate here after the battle in New York. First time I ever had shwarma. I've eaten here once every two weeks since. Except last week, only 'cause Thor <em>somehow</em> blew up my kitchen just trying to make <em>homemade</em> <em>Pop Tarts</em>, if you can believe it. I spent two whole days just cleaning out the oven. Well, what was left of it anyway. The term 'God of Thunder' earned itself a whole new meaning that day."</p><p>They had reached the entrance of the restaurant by the time he had finished speaking. Tony opens the door for Emily. "Ladies first."</p><p>Emily bursts out laughing at what Tony had said about Thor. She smiles softly and nods as he opens the door. "Such a gentleman," she teases gently.</p><p>Tony smiles as he leads her to a table with a window. A seemingly disgruntled male waiter walks over and hands them two menus.</p><p>Emily thanks the waiter and opens the menu. She decides to get a scotch for herself, and then turns her gaze upon Tony. The genius himself is browsing the menu as well, then spots Emily looking at him. </p><p><em>Steve can jump off a cliff for all I care</em>, he thinks grimly.<em> And screw it being too soon- I'm goin' for it! </em>"See something you like?" Tony asks as he lowers the menu, smirking flirtatiously.</p><p>"I do actually. I see a particularly handsome genius in front of me," she replies, just as flirtatiously.</p><p>"And I see the sexiest girl alive in front of me."</p><p>The waiter comes over at that moment, then hears what Tony says. The waiter clears his throat uncomfortably to grab their attention. "Um... should I give you two a few more minutes?"</p><p>Emily flushes a bit at what he had said. <em>Oops</em>. She looks at the waiter and says, "Nah, I think we're ready to order." She glances at Tony, waiting.</p><p>Tony, in spite of himself, flushes a bit too. "Er, yeah. I'll take your fried chicken shwarma and a beer. Preferably not the <em>Dogfish Head</em> brand, thank you very much."</p><p>The waiter nods, bored. He turns to Emily. "And you, ma'am?"</p><p>Emily thinks for a moment, "I'll just get what he's having. But instead of a beer, I'd like some scotch."</p><p>The waiter nods, writing down her order. Then he walks off.</p><p>Tony looks at Emily, smiling. "So... where were we?"</p><p>Emily thanks the waiter when the drinks come. She looks at Tony and smirks just slightly. "You were just telling me that you see the sexiest girl alive in front of you," she replies picking up her glass of scotch and sipping.</p><p>Tony nods, his heart racing. "And not only is she the sexiest girl alive, but she's also pretty smart. You solved a problem that even I couldn't!"</p><p>Emily smiles and nods, her face bright red from embarrassment. "Well, it was just a bit of, uh, you know, dust in the sockets... but, uh, heh, thank you." She quickly looks away to hide her face as she giggles nervously. Now she can't even find her voice. She has to admit it, whether she likes it or not. Tony reaches for her hand and brushes it gently. </p><p>"I think it's cute when you don't know what to say." Emily flushes even more, her face turning even redder. She looks up at him, her crystal blue eyes staring into his chocolate brown ones. Tony hadn't realised until now just how beautiful her eyes are. They shimmer like sapphires in the sunlight. And it suddenly clicks. He decides to make the next move. Slowly but surely, Tony leans to kiss her. Emily's eyes widen with surprise but without hesitation she leans in as well, her lips crashing into his. Little did she know that her ex-boyfriend is standing outside the restaurant, in the rain, watching the two of them kiss. </p><p>His body trembles with barely hidden rage as he stomps towards the restaurant, feet sloshing ominously in the puddles.</p><p>Tony leans further into the kiss, his hand reaching up to cup her cheek gently. Emily continues to kissing him, despite still feeling somewhat flustered. She then places her hand on his, their fingers intertwining.</p><p>Then it clicks.</p><p>Her father and ex would no doubt murder her for this. But then again, she can care less. Her ex, Mark, walks into the restaurant wearing a oversized trench coat. He notices the two and glares at Emily angrily before sitting at the table directly behind her. The waiter comes at that moment with Tony's and Emily's food. He sees them kissing and, feeling a twinge of discomfort, clears his throat again to grab their attention. "Erm... if you're finished, your food is here."</p><p>Emily gasps and quickly pulls away, blushing from embarrassment. "T-t-t-thank you..." she stutters nervously, taking her plate.</p><p>Mark leans back at bit and whispers in Emily's ear. Tony spots this, and instantly smells something fishy about the guy. Something is off. He looks at Mark in puzzlement while the waiter puts Tony's food on the table. </p><p>When the waiter leaves, Tony asks Emily, "That guy a friend of yours?"</p><p>Mark perks up and looks over at Tony. "I'm Emily's boyfriend actually." Tony raises an eyebrow skeptically at the other man's statement.</p><p>Emily's head immediately lowers. The words, <em>"Ex</em>-boyfriend..." come out in a soft, almost inaudible mumble.</p><p>Mark glares at Emily, growling between his teeth, "What was that, Emily?"</p><p>Emily gulps in fear. "N-nothing....."</p><p>Tony stands up angrily, not liking this guy one bit. "Hey. You leave her <em>alone</em>, you got that?"</p><p>Mark looks up at Tony and smirks slightly. "I can't make promises that I can't keep, pal."</p><p>"First off, I'm not your pal. Second, is that a threat?" Tony asks. "Because if it is, you're gonna regret it. I've got a metal suit that could blast you full of holes before you can say 'point-break.' And what've you got? Your fists? Feet? Take a hike if you want to keep your legs on."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Before the Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"First off, I'm not your pal. Second, is that a threat?" Tony asks. "Because if it is, you're gonna regret it. I've got a metal suit that could blast you full of holes before you can say 'point-break.' And what've you got? Your fists? Feet? Take a hike if you want to keep your legs on."</p><p>Mark just laughs. "I ain't threatening anyone. I'm just stating the facts."</p><p>Emily looks up at Tony with a pleading look in her eyes. "Tony, it's fine, just calm down. Please."</p><p>Mark smirks. "You should really listen to your new girlfriend," he drawls mockingly.</p><p>Tony raises an eyebrow at him, but slowly  sits back down. As he takes a drink of his beer, Tony says, "Figured I'd give you fair warning. Now, if you'll excuse us, we'd like to enjoy our shwarma now while it's still hot. You should get something yourself if you're going to stay in this restaurant any longer. I know for a fact the manager isn't fond of people just barging in here and not ordering anything."</p><p>Mark merely shrugs in response and waves the waiter over to order a drink. He figures he'll get Emily back later.</p><p>Emily just sits there and eats in silence, trying to pretend her ex isn't right behind her. Watching. Waiting. "You okay?" Tony asks Emily worriedly. He knows that whatever happened between her and Mark wasn't good. He could see it in her eyes. The fear. And the way Mark looked at Emily... Mark looked at her like she was his prey.</p><p>Emily looks down and nods. "Ya, I'm fine...." The petrified look in her eyes continue to say otherwise.</p><p>Tony raises an eyebrow, not believing it for a second. "Hey, if he hurt you intentionally in any way... then someone needs to know." He puts his hand on Emily's, trying to reassure her.</p><p>Emily looks up at him, moments away from tears. "I-I-I can't talk about it with him around..." she whispers in Tony's ear.</p><p>Tony nods. "It's okay," he whispers back gently. "Do you want to go back to Stark Tower?"</p><p>Emily quickly nods.</p><p>"Okay." Tony takes her hand and leads her out of the restaurant to the car. It's pouring buckets outside and Tony wishes the car's roof had been closed right about now. Leather seats and water simply don't mix.</p><p>Emily giggles a bit as they get soaking wet. The rain actually makes her feel happy, even though both her hair and clothes were thoroughly drenched by the time she got in the car. As Tony gets in the car he sees Emily smiling. And he then smiles too. The rain is kind of refreshing. Freezing cold of course, but refreshing. And since it was making Emily happy, Tony decided not to close the roof of the car just yet. Then again, maybe he should close it. The last thing he needed was to have to call Happy and tell him the CEO of Stark Industries got sick because he didn't want to close the car roof while it was raining out.</p><p>So he closes the roof and starts the engine. He pulls the car out of the parking lot, tires sloshing noisily in the puddles as he does so. Emily tilts her head at Tony, eyes sparkling with a hint of happiness. His heart almost stops when he looks at her eyes. He'd kiss her again right now if he wasn't driving. "You seem like a great girl, Emily. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."</p><p>Emily looks over at him and smiles softly. "Thanks Tony." She leans over and kisses his cheek. "And you seem like a great guy." She places a hand on his chest, right where his reactor rests. "I'm so sorry about what happened to you, though. That's really scary... I don't know how you live your life with that kind of a burden... and then with all that's happened over the past few years..."</p><p>Tony smiles lightly, gently taking her hand into his free one. "Thanks. It's hard, I'll admit it. But I try not to look at it as a burden. If it weren't for this little blue light in my chest, I'd still be a first-class jerk. That or dead. I still kinda am a jerk... but not as much."</p><p>Emily looks at him with soft eyes. "I don't think you're a jerk. I think you're an amazing person who can do amazing things. I mean, look at the Iron Man suit! I can't imagine a jerk building an awesome thing like that to save people. I can't imagine a jerk risking his life so many times to save the lives of thousands. The problem is that a lot of people only see what they wanna see. And what they wanna see is what they choose to believe. But I don't want to be that kind of a person. So I choose to see the truth for what it is. Not what I want it to be. And I can see you're not a jerk, Tony. You're a really good person at heart. That is the truth."</p><p>Tony looks at her. "Thanks. That... means a lot to me."</p><p>
  <em>A million miles away,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Your signal in the distance, to whom it may concern...</em>
</p><p>Emily looks at Tony and smiles. "No thanks necessary, Tone Tone."</p><p>"Tone Tone, huh?" Tony grins. "I like that." They had just pulled into the garage of Stark Tower.</p><p>Emily giggles and smirks as snatches his keys from him the second he turns off the car. She kisses his cheek and gets out quickly, running off with his keys in her hands. "Come on and get me, Tone Tone!" Emily calls to him as she runs upstairs, laughing at her cheekiness.</p><p>Tony jumps out of the car and hurries after her. "Hey, wait up!"</p><p>
  <em>I think I lost my way,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Gettin' good at startin' over</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Every time that I return...</em>
</p><p>Emily giggles and scurries into Tony's room. She smirks and hides under his bed, covering her mouth to stifle her giggles. It takes Tony a couple of minutes to find her. When he goes into his room, he lifts up the blanket and sees Emily hiding under the bed. "Boo! I found you!" Emily squeals like a little kid and crawls out quickly, sprinting out the door before Tony can get his hands on her.</p><p>"My keys now!" she shouts, running into the kitchen.</p><p>Tony laughs and chases after her. "I'm gonna get you!"</p><p>"No ya ain't!" Emily shouts, a hint of her Southern accent coming out. They're in the living room now, chasing each other in circles around the couch.</p><p>"Oh yes I am!" Tony starts to run after her faster. Emily laughs and jumps up on the couch, feeling incredibly giddy at the moment. She didn't realise just how much she needed this. Having a good old time, just being herself. And with someone who was just as crazy as she was. This is what she needed most. </p><p>"Nuh uh!" Emily dangles the keys in front of Tony, daring him to try and take them. Tony jumps up on the couch after her, grabbing her arm. They end up falling on the couch in a spin from the momentum, Emily on top of Tony.</p><p>"Whoops," Tony says, still laughing so hard he could barely breathe. </p><p>
  <em>Learnin' to walk again,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I believe I've waited long enough</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Where do I begin</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Learnin' to talk again</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Can't you see I've waited long enough?</em>
</p><p>Emily giggles looks into his eyes. She gently kisses him, placing her hands on his chest. Tony kissed her back, his hands placed on her sides. As they start smooching, Happy happens to walk in on them. He stares a moment, then starts to leave, muttering, "I saw nothing..." Emily flushes and pulls away, looking up. Her hair is a mess, looking almost like a crazy person's.</p><p>"Happy? Are you okay?" she asks him, concerned.</p><p>Happy stops and looks at her, his face pale. "Uh, yeah, yeah... I just remembered I forgot to feed my goldfish this morning." He quickly hurries away after that.</p><p>Tony just laughs in amusement. "He'll be okay. I don't think he was expecting to see us making out on the living room couch."</p><p>Emily giggles at Happy. "He has a goldfish? I wish I had a puppy..." she says dreamily as she lays her head on Tony's chest. She listens to the sound of his heart beat, which eventually puts her to sleep. Tony listens to the sound of her steady breathing, gently stroking her hair. Suddenly he comes to a decision. He's going to get her the cutest puppy on the planet. Not literally, of course, but he is definitely going to get her a really cute puppy. Emily breathes evenly in her slumber. She purrs and cuddles up closer to Tony, who smiles as he wraps his arms around her. Soon enough, the billionaire falls asleep too.</p><p>The sun is now rising, light coming through the windows.</p><p>Tony opens his eyes sleepily, yawning as he does so. He hasn't slept this well in ages, he realises with a smile. He looks down at Emily. Her skin glows in the sun, and the genius can't help but reach his hand and stroke her face gently. Her eyebrows, her cheek...Tony has never met anyone like her. He is afraid that it's too good to be true, that he would lose her too. He's afraid he's made a terrible mistake. He barely knows Emily. What if it's all just a trick, and his heart gets broken again? But what if it is real? What if there was a chance this could work? <em>I guess I'll just have to roll with the punches</em>, Tony thinks. Emily slowly wakes up, brushing her hair from her face. Tony smiles at her, banishing his doubts for the moment. "Good morning, sleepy head."</p><p>Emily giggles and looks up at him. "Morning, daddy." She kisses him gently on the lips.</p><p>Tony kisses her back briefly, then says while chuckling, "Daddy? Gee, I hope I'm not that old."</p><p>Emily giggles, "Well I mean you are older than me. I'm only twenty-five."</p><p>Tony smiles. "Want me to fix us some coffee?"</p><p>Emily nods. "Sure. Just a touch of half and half if you have it. If not, regular creamer is fine. Just don't let Dum-E near- oh crap, I forgot about the chocolate cake!" She sits up, disappointed. "Sorry..."</p><p>Tony lets out a laugh. "It's okay, there's no set deadline for cake. We can bake one another time." Tony heads into the kitchen and makes some coffee. He brings two steaming mugs into the living room and hands one to Emily. Tony then sits down beside her, sipping.</p><p>Emily smiles at the smell of the wonderful drink and takes the mug. "Thanks, love." She blows on it a little, then takes a sip.</p><p>"You're welcome. Not the best coffee I've ever had, though."</p><p>Emily shrugs. "Eh, coffee's coffee...." she says, smiling at him. "Better than Starbucks if you ask me."</p><p>Tony laughs. "Glad to hear it. So, what do you want to do, today? It's the weekend, so as long as there aren't any last minute board meetings I've forgotten about, we've got the whole day to ourselves."</p><p>Emily quietly shrugs. "I dunno..." She looks at him, an unreadable expression in her eyes. "You know, I never explained to you why I was like the way I was around Mark yesterday."</p><p>"You looked... terrified. What happened?"</p><p>Emily sighs and looks down. "Let's just say Mark... let's just say he's a prime example of what a jerk is." She slowly takes off her shirt, showing him the many scars she had on her back and on her arms. Some were from blunt instruments, others looks like they came from a the tip of a knife. One or two particularly big ones were clearly burns. The damaged tissue had long since healed, forever scarring her with the gnarled skin that was her back.</p><p>"Oh my God," Tony murmurs. "Oh my God... how... how could he... how could he do such a thing to you?"</p><p>"You get used to it after a while..."</p><p>Tony puts a hand on her shoulder. "No one should ever have to get used to something like that. Ever."</p><p>Emily shrugs sadly. "No one should have to go through what you did in Afghanistan. But it happened to you just as this happened to me. There's nothing we can do to change the past."</p><p>"I know," Tony says. "But we can make our future. And I promise I won't let Mark hurt you again."</p><p>Emily smiles softy and looks at him, pulling him into a hug. "I appreciate that, Tone Tone, but never make a girl a promise you might not be able to keep." Tony nuzzles her hair affectionately, returning the hug.</p><p>"I see babies in our future!" Emily jokes, laughing.</p><p>Tony laughs with her as he coils some of her golden hair around his finger. "I hope they'll have your hair."</p><p>"Wait, wait!- the amazing Tony Stark wants kids? Did I get sent to some parallel universe in the middle of the night or something?"</p><p>"Well, they can be pretty cute and anyway, having lots of little geniuses running around might be kinda fun," Tony says, smirking. "Hey, they might even build the first warp five engine- oh for crying out loud! Remind me never to go back to Fury's house- like ever. He watches nothing but Enterprise and weird Canadian programs all day."</p><p>"Wow, I'm surprised! Not many geniuses, billionaires, playboys, and philanthropists want children." Emily chuckles. "Let alone be able to put up with Fury's antics."</p><p>Tony shrugs giving her a kiss back. "Well, I'm not many geniuses, billionaires, playboys, and philanthropists. Plus, having kids means there'll be more of me out there."</p><p>Emily rolls her eyes in amusement. "Well of course! I'm not really sure what I want to do today- it's such a beautiful day outside and I know I don't want to spend it cooped up in the tower. No offense."</p><p>"It's okay. Hm..." Tony thinks a minute. "Well first I have to make sure Dum-E hasn't blown up anything in my lab. And then maybe we can... oh, there's a circus in town today!"</p><p>"I'll go get dressed and we can go to the circus. And before you ask... yes I always have a backup outfit for the backup," Emily says, chuckling. "Weather hates me."</p><p>Tony laughs. "Okay. After I check my lab I'll go get changed too."</p><p>Emily smiled and walks away into her office to change. She comes downstairs in a black shirt with a matching skirt and a dark grey jacket. Her heels are a shiny navy blue colour, and around her neck was a silver necklace with a pink crystal pendant that, mysteriously enough, seems to glow. Tony, who also went to change, comes back in a clean Black Sabbath shirt and jeans with white shoes. He sees Emily and his jaw drops. "You look amazing."</p><p>"Thanks Tony but I bet I could be wearing my pajamas and you'd still say I look amazing," she says, laughing.</p><p>"Heh, you got that right," Tony replies. He extends his hand to her. "Shall we?"</p><p>Emily smiles and takes his hand. "We shall."</p><p>After checking the lab real quick, they head down to the car. Tony opens the door for Emily. "Ladies first."</p><p>Emily giggles, getting in. "Thanks, Tone Tone."</p><p>Tony closes the door and then gets in beside her. "You're welcome... Ems." He starts up the engines.</p><p>Emily laughs at the nickname. "Really? Ems? No one has called me that in, like, ten years."</p><p>Tony smiles as he drives the car out of the garage. "Well... what do you want me to call you?"</p><p>"Hmm... my dad calls me Kitten sometimes," Emily answers.</p><p>"Kitten." Tony smiles again. "That's cute. I did hear you purring when you were sleeping. It suits you."</p><p>Emily begins giggling. "And that's where I got my nickname. That and I tend to mew sometimes too. Some may think it's childish, but I honestly don't care. I like being me."</p><p>Tony chuckles. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe we should have a meowing contest later." Emily can't hold it in any longer. She bursts out laughing. "Hm... whoever meows the most in one minute wins," Tony says as he drives the car into the circus parking lot. "And we're here!"</p><p>Emily smiles and gets out of the car. Tony follows, walking beside her. They approach a burly-looking ticketmaster, who in Emily's opinion looks more like a night club bouncer than anything else. "Sorry, we're sold out," the ticketmaster growls.</p><p>Tony fishes a hundred dollar bill out of his pocket and shows it to the brute. "On second thought, maybe not," the ticketmaster says, taking the money.Tony nods and leads Emily to the circus tent.</p><p>Emily shakes her head and sighs. "It must be great to be a billionaire...."</p><p>Tony looks at her. "Did I... do something wrong?"</p><p>Emily looks up at him, offering a reassuring smile. "No not at all. I was just talking."</p><p>"Oh," Tony says. "Well, it's great for the most part, being a billionaire... but it can be pretty annoying at times. Usually I like the attention, but every now and then, you know... I just want peace and quiet. No paparazzi banging on my doorstep asking about my opinion on this and that and blah blah."</p><p>Emily laughs. "Well, don't worry. If any paparazzi show and decide to pester us, I'll just give them a good kick where it hurts."</p><p>They enter the tent and find a nice spot with a good view of the circus area down below. <br/>"My father liked the circus," Tony says. "But my mom hated it. I guess it's because she was never very fond of clowns."</p><p>Emily's eyes widens when she hears that last statement. "Clowns?!" She thought clowns stopped being much of a circus thing a long time ago. But some circuses still do it and there was the possibility that this circus is one of them.</p><p>Tony looks at her worriedly. "Oh, crap! You're not afraid of clowns, are you? I should've asked..."</p><p>Emily gulps slightly and shakes her head. "I'll be okay, Tony. Don't work yourself up about it..."</p><p>Tony puts an arm around her. "It's okay to be afraid. You wanna know one thing I'm afraid of? Birds."</p><p>Emily looks over at him in surprise. "For real? I'm afraid of spiders and clowns..." She then looks away, embarrassed.</p><p>Tony puts a finger on her chin and lifts her face up. He plants a kiss on her forehead. "I never liked birds for some reason. I guess because one thought my head would make a great... um... toilet." The last word comes out almost as a whisper.</p><p>Emily tries to contain her laugh, barely managing to do so. Tony leans in and kisses her again, pulling her close.</p><p>The circus show begins to start with animals and their trainers. Thankfully no clowns whatsoever were in sight.Tony watches as the trainer gets a lion to leap through a ring. The lion does this several times, each one as perfect as the last.</p><p><em>Purrrfect</em>, Tony thinks. Then he laughs quietly to himself. Emily leans forward and rests her arms on the balcony.</p><p>"Awww, the lions are so fluffy! </p><p>Tony chuckles. "Yeah, they're pretty cute." Emily smiles softly, her eyes sparkling in the light.  After ushering the lions backstage, the tigers come next. The trainer gets them to stand up on their back paws a few seconds, and then has them jump on a trampoline. The tigers do some pretty crazy stunts there.</p><p>Emily watches in awe. Next up are the acrobats.</p><p>They do some amazing and daring feats themselves, including trapeze. One female acrobat flies over to Tony and smirks, placing a kiss on his lips. Then she swings away gracefully on the trapeze.</p><p>Tony is stunned, not sure of what to say.</p><p>Emily watches in slightly amused jealousy. Just then her phone rings. She checks the Caller ID, then looks up at Tony. "I better take this," she says as she gets up. </p><p>"Okay," Tony says. "I'll be right here when you get back." Emily smiles and nods.Then she walks out of the tent. Birds twitter in the morning breeze, the same breeze that ominously chills Emily to the bone.</p><p>Emily answers the call, lifting the phone to her ear. "Bucky, I told you not call me on this phone, it's not safe-" She listens for a moment as Bucky hurriedly explains the situation and her heart stops. "Bucky, hold up! Say it slower."</p><p>Bucky's shuddering breaths crackle over the phone. He takes a deep breath and says it once more, this time slower. "Your dad's been hurt pretty badly, Emily- I-I-I d-don't... Emily, you've got to get down here now! We need help!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Eliza: Lyrics are from the song " Walk" by Foo Fighters</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Ready Aim Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>"Emily, you've got to get down here now! We need help!"</p><p>The sound of gunfire follows. Emily anxiously runs a hand through her hair, silently trying to tell herself to stay calm, that freaking out isn't going to help her father or Bucky. "Alright, Bucky. Stay calm, okay? Tell me where you are." </p><p>"Times Square," Bucky tells her, slowing his breathing so as to stay calm like Emily told him to. "We're in Times Square. It was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission- we didn't think it- Emily, I don't feel so good."</p><p>"Fight it, Buckster," Emily tells him firmly, trying to ignore the tremours in her voice. "Please. For dad and for me. You can do it."</p><p>"Thanks," Bucky says weakly.</p><p>"Try to hold out as long as you can, okay? I'm coming," Emily promises. "I'm coming."</p><p>Emily lowers the phone and hangs up. She hurries over to Tony and grabs her purse. He looks up at her, questioning in his eyes. "I gotta go," she tells him softly. "It's... it's urgent. I'm sorry- I can't say anymore." She quickly turns away and starts running, instantly regretting her decision to wear heels. <em>Times Square... Times Square...</em></p><p>Tony chases after her, catching up quickly. "Wait! Emily! Hold up!"</p><p>Emily halts her flight, stumbling on the concrete sidewalk and almost falling off the curb. Brushing her now-mussed up hair from her face, she replies, "I'm sorry, Tony, but..." She closes her eyes and lets out a shuddering breath. <em>No. Don't make the same mistake Dad made. Don't follow in his footsteps now. </em>"My Dad's been hurt," she tells Tony, unable to meet his gaze. "H-he and Bucky, they're in Times Square. I-I-I don't know what happened- Bucky just called me, said that they were on some mission and... please, Tony. I have to go. If Dad... I don't know what I..."</p><p>Tony unexpectedly wraps his arms around her, his nose bumping the top of her hair. "It's okay," he says quietly, an unidentifiable note in his voice. "You said they're in Times Square?" Emily nods silently. "You won't get there very quickly on your feet. I'll drive you. Okay?" Emily nods again, now acutely aware of the tears trailing down her face. </p><p><em>No. Not now. Don't cry now. Now when your Dad needs you.</em> Emily slowly pulls away, wiping her face. "Let's go."</p><hr/><p>Tony pulls onto road running through Times Square, not even bothering to check his speed as the bumper smashes into the curb. The Square itself is in utter chaos- civilians scramble over knocked down trash bins and other miscellaneous items in their haste to get away from scene of the battle, screaming and crying all the while. Emily spots Bucky kneeling beside a wounded Steve, both of them huddled safely in an alleyway. The cybernetic soldier is currently engaged in a firefight, while Steve is occupied with pressing his hand to the gash in his torso in an attempt to staunch the blood seeping out.</p><p>"Daddy!" Emily cries, getting out of the car and rushing towards her father.</p><p>"Emily!" Tony shouts, practically tearing a handgun out of his car's glove-box compartment and then chasing after her. <em>Next time... I'm bringing my suit anyway!</em></p><p>Emily skids to a low crouch as she nears Bucky and Steve. She quickly crawls towards her father, pleading, <em>praying</em> that he was going to be okay. "Dad, are you-"</p><p>"Help Bucky," Steve interrupts, coughing horribly. "Help Bucky," he repeats, his voice shaky yet firm. Tony kneels down beside them, loading the firearm clutched in his hands.</p><p>"Care to explain just what the heck is going on?" Tony demands.</p><p>Emily looks up at Bucky, who is taking another shot. She trails her gaze across the barrel, trying to pinpoint exactly where he's aiming. The weapon is pointed towards a shadowed alleyway. She spots slight movement behind one of the dumpsters nestled in the corner. Emily turns her attention to Tony. "Keep them safe for me, will you?"</p><p>Without even waiting for him to protest, Emily straightens up slightly and sprints to the alleyway across from them for cover, the sprays of bullets whizzing by dangerously. Closing her eyes, she tries to will her mind to quiet, with no success. <em>Come on! I can't be this out of practice!</em> She peers around the corner at her friends and father. <em>They need me. They need me </em>now.<em> So quit screwin' around!</em> And then she smiles when she feels the familiar magic washing over her. The weight of the red mask covering her face, the straps of leather around her shoulders that hold her katanas. <em>Yes!</em> Emily stands up, quickly drawing her katanas as she does so. She runs out from her hiding place, a new determination taking hold.</p><p>Emily comes to a stop before the dumpster, where the shooter is hiding. She mentally thanks Bucky for holding his fire, then climbs up over the side of the dumpster. As she plants her boots firmly on the lid, the shooter stands up to take another shot. Before he can do so, Emily swiftly puts her katanas at his throat. "Put the gun down, buster. Or I'll put <em>you</em> down."</p><hr/><p>Meanwhile, Tony is still crouched next to Steve. After glancing up at Bucky to make sure his attention was focused on the enemy (whoever it was), he looks back down at Steve. Sighing in frustration, he pokes the soldier's hand with a finger. "Move your hand. I might be able to do something about your wound."</p><p>"Like make it worse, for example?" Steve asks.</p><p>"Not now, Rogers. Get your hand out of the way before I do it for you."</p><p>Steve growls in annoyance, but he grudgingly obeys the order. Tony examines the gash for a moment. "Lucky you. I have just the thing that'll do the trick. Nano-bots. They're still kinda a work in progress, but, well- beggars can't be choosers."</p><p>"Over my dead body," Steve retorts.</p><p>"With that attitude your <em>dead body</em> is gonna be headed for the morgue, not the hospital. So why don't you just shut up and let me save your life, okay?" Tony counters, pulling out a small device from his watch and spraying the wound with his very own nano-bot recipe. The nano-bots join together in unison, forming a net-like structure to cover the gash. "Now that we have that settled, riddle me this- why in <em>frickin' heck</em> would you send your own daughter into a fight <em>you</em> started?! Why? She could get hurt- heck! She could get killed!!" With every word Tony's scowl only deepened. "I should've gone with her, she's-"</p><p>"She'll be fine," Steve interrupts weakly, his face slightly pale from blood loss. "She's... she's been doing this for a long time."</p><p>"And <em>what,</em> may I ask, is <em>that?"</em></p><hr/><p>Emily runs back towards her friends and father, quickly sheathing her katanas. "Quick! Let's get Dad in the car!" A female reporter- Emily thinks it might be Christine Everheart, but she's not certain- runs up to her and demands to know her name and what her affiliation is with the Rogue Avengers and so forth. Emily effectively cuts her off by interrupting mid-question, "I'm Katerina and that's all you need to know. Now get lost or get hurt. You saw absolutely nothing. Too much chaos going on to figure out what was happening. Understood?"</p><p>The reporter gets the message and quickly backs away.</p><p>Emily for a moment feels a pang of guilt for threatening the reporter- after all, she's just doing her job. Albeit in a way that could easily get her killed. But she tries to push the feeling away and instead kneels down beside Steve and the others. "We still need to get him medical attention right away. I still haven't worked out the kinks with the nano-bots' power supply," Tony tells her. "I'll have to pull a few strings, but I know a place that'll be safe." He reaches forward with a hand and pats Steve's cheek as he continues, "Try not to die on the way, Capsicle." Tony is tempted to say more, and crack some dumb joke about paper cuts, but he doesn't.</p><p>Emily is already upset enough as it is.</p><hr/><p>Day descends into night.</p><p>Emily, now in her normal clothes, paces the waiting room anxiously despite Tony's pleas for her to sit down and rest. Bucky sits in the corner, constantly watching both Tony's and Emily's every movement. Like an owl watches its prey. <em>Guess they should've named him 'Snowy Owl' instead of Winter Soldier then,</em> Tony thinks as he glances over at said soldier. Bucky meets his gaze, unwavering.</p><p>
  <em>Definitely an owl.</em>
</p><p>A nurse approaches them, a clipboard tucked away in her arms and her heels clicking on the tile floor. "You can see him now. I recommend that you make it brief, however. He's still recovering from the surgery and needs to rest." Emily hears the first part of what the nurse says- the rest goes in one ear and out the other. She rushes to Steve's room, not even bothering to check her speed as she dodges the surgeons and nurses walking the halls. Tony chases after her- almost running into a surgeon by mistake- and bursts in after Emily. Bucky follows shortly after, a hint of anxiety in his normally collected blue eyes.</p><p>Emily hurries over to Steve and gently takes his hand in hers. She would prefer to give him a good old bear hug, but she doesn't want to injure her father any further than he already has been. Steve's tired blue eyes flick up to meet Emily's worried gaze. "Kitten... you shouldn't be here," he says softly. "Not safe."</p><p>"It's a lot safer than a hospital that <em>doesn't</em> accept my bribes," Tony tells him, leaning his back against the wall casually. "You're literally in the safest place you can be in New York at the moment without bleeding out all over somebody's couch." Bucky lets out a growl at the inventor's words. Tony just ignores him. "Now would one of you mind explaining to us just <em>what in the heck</em> you're both doing here in <em>New frickin' York</em> and how <em>you</em> of all people-" he points at Steve as he speaks- "managed to get yourself shot and why <em>he-"</em> Tony now points at Bucky, who is now glaring at him and no doubt thinking of the many number of ways he could murder the inventor <em>and</em> hide his body- "isn't going all ballistic on the people who did this?"</p><p>"Because..." Emily trails off, biting her lip.</p><p>"Because what?" Tony asks.</p><p>Emily shakes her head. "No. Never mind." Tony frowns silently, watching as Emily holds Steve's hand close.</p><p>Something is going on. The question is... what?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Sorrow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p>Tony lifts his gaze from the magazine he is reading and glances at the clock. <em>12:32 A.M.</em> He then glances over at Emily, who sits with the now sleeping Steve, his hand tucked away in hers. Bucky had left a few hours earlier, no doubt to regroup with the other Rogues. Wherever <em>they</em> were.</p><p>"I miss Thomas... I miss mom..." Emily lets out a choked sob. "I don't wanna lose you too." Tony's heart aches at her words. He doesn't know too much about what happened to Peggy after Steve began sentence as a cap-sicle, aside from her retirement at the end of the war. After that she pretty much went under the radar. </p><p>Tony reaches out to put a hand on Emily's shoulder. She shakes her head sadly, lifting her gaze to meet Tony's. "They died years ago. My mum, Peggy was killed in the war and when Thomas heard mother was dead.... he... he took his own life... he..."</p><p>"I'm sorry," Tony whispers softly.</p><p>"I-i-it's fine," Emily tells him, her voice shuddering as she struggles to keep the dam from collapsing. Tony wraps his arms around her, combing his fingers gently through her hair in an attempt to be reassuring.</p><p>"Emily, when something like that happens to someone, it's <em>never</em> 'fine,'" Tony says firmly. "It's not good to keep your feelings bottled up like this. I did that and... I got really low, Emily. There were a lot of times it got really bad. That I almost... look, it's okay to let these feelings out once in a while. The longer you keep them inside, the harder it gets to keep going. And... a lot of times I almost couldn't."</p><p>Emily buries her face into his neck, mumbling a soft "Thank you" as she does so. After a moment, she pulls away, looking Tony in the eye. "Tone Tone, I need to tell you something. So... just listen, okay?" The inventor nods silently in reply concern evident in his brown eyes. "The people who attacked Bucky and my dad... it was HYDRA. That's why Bucky didn't go after them. That's why I didn't say anything earlier. I'm not sure why they're here in New York- or why Bucky and dad were doing recon here for that matter." </p><p>Tony digests this information for a moment before replying, "Wait, I thought SHIELD had destroyed HYDRA."</p><p>"That's what I thought too," Emily says. "Until I interrogated the agent who attacked. He and his squadron were sent by HYDRA to kill both dad and Bucky at all costs. I don't know what happened to the other agents who were with him, but I..." She trails off, shame swimming in her eyes.</p><p>Tony hushes her softly. "It's okay. You did what you had to."</p><p>Emily sighs, lowering her gaze. "... I guess so..." After a moment, she continues, "Thank you... for listening, Tony." She buries her face back into the crook of his neck, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Eventually she falls asleep, purring. Tony strokes her hair, his mind running at eighty-eight miles per hour. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone. The inventor looks at the small, smooth device resting in his hand, hesitating. Then without further ado, he dials in the number for Stark Tower and waits, turning down the volume a bit so it doesn't wake Emily or Steve.</p><p>"You called, sir?" Jarvis asks. "Mister Hogan has been in a frenzy all day looking for you. Should I tell him y-"</p><p>"Just tell him to stop running around like a headless chicken and I'm okay," Tony interrupts. "Right now I need you to work on something more important for me."</p><p>"As you wish."</p><p>"See if you can hack into SHIELD's database. I need any information you can find on their final encounter with HYDRA- absolutely <em>anything</em> you can find. I don't care how heavily encrypted it is. Understood?"</p><p>"Understood," Jarvis replies, confusion evident in his voice. "May I ask what this is about?"</p><p>Tony hesitates, then answers, "It's... complicated."</p><p>"As complicated as your many other endeavours?"</p><p>Oh, now Jarvis is just getting cheeky. Well, nobody ever said it couldn't be a two-player.</p><p><em>"Goodnight,</em> Jarvis."</p><hr/><p>Tony jerks awake at the sound of a ruckus going on right outside the hospital room. The first thought that comes to mind is<em> HYDRA agents!</em> The inventor shakes Emily awake frantically. "Emily! Emily, wake up! Wake up!"</p><p>She opens her eyes blearily, mind muddled with sleepiness. "Tony... what's going on...?"</p><p>It's then that the door swings open and in comes rushing... a <em>kitten?</em> A surgeon barges in after it, nearly slipping. He stumbles as he regains footing, and his agitated eyes meet Tony's threatening gaze. The surgeon gulps nervously and gives a little wave. "Uh, hello..." he greets sheepishly, panting hard.</p><p>Emily is already on her feet, the fluffy little kitten safely tucked away in her arms. "Awwww... she's so cute!" Tony isn't about to ask her how she knows the feline is a she. He glances at Emily for a moment, then looks back at the surgeon. </p><p>"You can keep it," the surgeon tells Emily, wiping sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. "I don't know where it came from and I don't care either. Just make sure you don't leave it unattended."</p><p>Emily gently sets the kitten on Steve's bed and looks at the surgeon, surprised. "Are you sure-"</p><p>"Yes yes- definitely sure!" The surgeon stumbles out, muttering something about getting a drink.</p><p>"Well, that was... interesting," Tony comments. "So what are you going to call her?"</p><p>Emily thinks for a moment and looks over at the kitten, who had apparently crawled onto the snoring Steve's chest at some point, and is now batting his nose curiously. "Misty," Emily replies. "I'm gonna call her Misty, and she shall be mine!" Tony grins and almost bursts out laughing, thinking of how the last time Peter had visited, the teen <em>insisted</em> (by that Tony means Peter threatened him if he said no) that they <em>had </em>to watch <em>Finding Nemo.</em> And then at the end Peter just happened to remember that the sequel was on Netflix too, so poor Tony had to sit through yet another pretty fishy film (pun fully intended). It wasn't <em>that</em> awful, he had to admit. Seeing Peter enjoying himself watching the movie was worth it. So was the half-burnt popcorn.</p><p>Misty turns her head to look at the two humans, mewing for attention. Emily picks up the little feline and mews back, much to Tony's amusement. Misty purrs in approval and lightly bats Emily's nose.</p><p>Tony smiles. "I think she likes you already." Then his phone vibrates. "I'll be right back," he says, taking the device out of his pocket. "Gotta take this." Emily nods, still cuddling the kitten. Tony steps out, gently shutting the door behind him as he does so, then answers. "Jarvis? You got anything?"</p><p>"I successfully penetrated SHIELD's database," Jarvis tells him, a degree of uncertainty in the A.I.'s voice.</p><p>"And? Did you crack the files?"</p><p>"Sir, I ran <em>every</em> tracking algorithm ever coded... I even coded some algorithms of my own... but I could not even <em>find</em> the files. It seems that all files pertaining to not just the fall of HYDRA, but the organisation in general... they have all been completely wiped from the system. I'm sorry, sir."</p><p>Tony sighs, rubbing his face tiredly. "It's alright, Jarvis. You did what you could. Is there... is there any chance you can tell me when the files were deleted? Or by who?"</p><p>"I'm afraid not," Jarvis says. "It appears that whomever did so has covered their tracks so effectively that even I can't trace it. Had I not been <em>looking</em> for the files, I would not have noticed that anything was missing. It is... quite troubling... If I may ask, sir, when will you be returning?"</p><p>"I'm... I'm not sure." Tony sighs. "I think it's gonna be a while. Call me if anything happens, okay?"</p><p>"Will do, sir."</p><hr/><p>Tony sees this. "Do you want to head back to the Tower?"</p><p>Emily shakes her head and curls up at the foot of her dad's bed. It's not very comfortable, but she would rather be uncomfortable than leave her dad here all alone. Tony gets a blanket from the closet in the room and tucks it gently around Emily.</p><p>Emily purrs softly and leans up slightly to kiss his cheek, "Night, Tone Tone." She then curls up into a sort of ball and closes her eyes. Misty lightly pokes Emily's nose with a curious paw. After receiving no response, save for some snoring, the little kitten snuggles up to her, letting out a soft sigh of contentment as she does so.</p><p>"Night, Kitten," Tony tells Emily, curling up beside her and accidentally squishing Steve's leg a bit in the process. The Capsicle stirred a bit, but went on snoring. "Someone's going to have pins and needles in the morning, and it's not gonna be me."</p><hr/><p>Emily wakes the next morning, yawning and untangling her arms from the bed so she could stretch them. Steve turns over in his bed sleepily, burying his face in the pillow. "Five more minutes, ma..." Tony, still half-asleep, gives (or rather, attempts to give) the super soldier a kick or two.</p><p>"... just want one more slice, Jarvis... but it's <em>pumpkin pie...</em> please, just <em>one</em> more...?"</p><p>Emily shakes her head, a small smile of amusement spread across her lips. She puts a hand on Tony's shoulder and gently shakes him. "Wake up, Tone Tone..." Misty, now wide awake, sits on one corner of the bed and watches in curiosity. Her furry head tilts to the side in puzzlement.</p><p>"... can I have some whipped cream with that...?"</p><p>"No," Emily answers in amusement. "Now wake up."</p><p>Tony's eyes finally open, squinting up at Emily. "Y'know, if it weren't for the lumpy mattress," he murmurs, "I'd say I could get used to this..." </p><p>"'m <em>not</em> a <em>mattress," </em>a sleepy Steve muttered indignantly.</p><p>"Good morning to you too," Tony replies, finally sitting up. He stretches his back for a moment and winces as it pops loudly. "Ow."</p><p>Emily laughs and picks up Misty, pressing a kiss to the tiny kitten's forehead. "Cutie," she says to the kitten, who gently bats her nose in response.</p><p>Tony stands up from the bed, yawning. "I'm going to head out, okay? I'll be back with a surprise- well, a couple of surprises, actually."</p><p>"'m <em>not</em> a mattress..." Steve mutters again in his sleep. Tony just rolls his eyes at the bed-ridden supersoldier and looks back at Emily.</p><p>"Oh, okay," Emily says, smiling happily. "Be back soon!"</p><p>Tony gives Emily kiss on the lips and waves her goodbye before jogging to the car. He gets in and starts the ignition, all the while playing his plan over and over in his mind. </p><p>Meanwhile, Emily looks over at Steve and holds up Misty. "Daddy, look at what I got!" Steve's eyes light up at the sight of the kitten. "She was being chased by a doctor and ran in here," Emily explains.</p><p>"I see," Steve replies, petting Misty. She purrs softly, closing her eyes in pleasure. Emily smiles at her dad and Misty, who bats Steve's hand while mewing softly. "What's her name?" </p><p>"Misty," Emily answers happily.</p><p>"Misty," Steve repeats. "That's a good name. I like it."</p><hr/><p>Tony parks outside the pet store. As he walks into the store, he declares, "I want a dozen puppies!"</p><p>The cashier, a certain old guy with grey hair, a mustache, and sunglasses, pokes his head up from underneath the cash register and stares at Tony. "........... I- I'm sorry- you want <em>how</em> many puppies now?"</p><hr/><p>
  <em>Half an hour later...</em>
</p><p>Tony came into the recovery room with a box, a dozen puppies (all on leashes thankfully), and some balloons that said "Get Better Soon" and "Sorry For Being a D***. I Still Hate You, Though." The latter had clearly been scribbled on with blue marker.</p><p>Steve stares at the scene before him, expressionless at first.Then he just bursts out laughing. </p><p>"Ha ha. Laugh it up, Spangles." Tony then turns to Emily and smiles awkwardly. "So... uh, I got you these puppies, and these balloons for Capsicle. And there's some treats for Misty and the puppies, but those are in the car."</p><p>Emily just smiles and hugs him. She then pulls away and walks over to her dad."Tony, if you gather up the puppies and Misty,  I can help my dad to the car. The doctor came by earlier and said he could be discharged." </p><p>Tony nods, getting the puppies' leashes and picking up Misty, who mewed in annoyance at having playtime interrupted. He takes them to the car, where all the puppies sit on the floor obediently (mostly), and Misty sprawls next to them.</p><p>Emily chuckles as she helps her dad to the car. "Where do you wanna- sit front or back?</p><p>"Back," Steve tells her.</p><p>"Okay." Emily helps him into the back, her body straining with Steve's heavy weight. "You're lucky I'm your daughter or you'd have had to ride in a wheelchair." Steve laughs in response.</p><p>Tony gets in the driver's seat, waiting patiently. Emily gets into the passenger seat and kisses Tony on the cheek. </p><p>"Uh- I'm sitting right here," Steve says.</p><p>Tony rolls his eyes and starts up the car. He starts driving and turns on the radio- Willie Nelson starts playing. "On the road again..."</p><p>"I heard this song," Steve tells them, sounding slightly annoyed. "Natasha got some CD player or something as a gift from a friend- she wouldn't stop playing that song for hours..."</p><p>"Can I change the song pwease?" Emily asks, looking at Tony with puppy dog eyes.</p><p>"Sure, go ahead," Tony says, smiling in amusement.</p><p>Emily smiles happily and changes the channel to one which happened to be playing her favorite song. Misty crawls up to the front of the car, mewing. She nudges Emily's hand, wanting to be petted. Emily smiles and picks up Misty, placing her in her lap. She then starts to sing quietly along with the song, her voice lilting with each lyric. Misty purrs, curling up in Emily's lap and closing her eyes.</p><p>Then Emily hears a soft snoring from the back of the car. No doubt Steve had fallen asleep. Emily smiled and looks over at Tony. He looks back at her and kisses her cheek. She laughs and says, "Eyes on the road, Tone Tone."</p><p>"Yes ma'am."</p><p>In a few minutes, they're in the garage of Stark Tower. When Tony parks, Emily gets out and goes around the back. She pauses as she looks down at her sleeping father and then, with some difficulty, manages to scoop Steve into her arms. Steve continues to snore, oblivious to the outside world.</p><p>Tony puts the leashes back on the puppies and picks up the mewing Misty. He'd get the kitty and puppy treats later.</p><p>Tony leads the puppies up into the living room, and then unhooks their leashes. They start racing around excitedly, sniffing every nook and cranny of the room. Tony then sets Misty on the couch, who promptly curls up on a cushion and falls asleep.</p><p><em>How many hours does she spend just sleeping?</em> Tony wondered.</p><p>Emily lays Steve on the bed in the guest room and walks back out. She smiles at the puppies, some of whom yip excitedly at the sight of her. She sits down on the couch next to Misty and places a hand on the kitten's stomach. Misty purrs softly in her sleep. Tony sits down beside Emily, smiling. "So... you wanna watch something?"</p><p>Emily looks at him and smiles. "Yea, if you want to. What do you wanna watch?"</p><p>"Well... I'm not sure," Tony admits. "Know any good movies?"</p><p>Emily thinks for a moment, "Lion King?"</p><p>"Sure, why not," Tony says. "Peter watches it a lot with me. Jarvis, play the Lion King for us."</p><p>"Will do, sir," Jarvis replies. "Though, I do have to remind you of that incident with Mr. Barton and-"</p><p>"Barton's not here, Jarvis," Tony interrupts. </p><p>"Playing the movie, now, sir," Jarvis says, sounding somewhat irritated. The movie begins, and Misty perks up, now awake from her slumber.</p><p>"Wait are you talking about Clint?!" Emily asks, perking up.</p><p>"Yeah, last time I had an Avengers' movie night here, Clint got drunk," Tony says, laughing.  "Like, <em>really</em> drunk. He splashed beer all over the TV." He stops laughing after a moment and frowns sadly. "That was back when... before..." Emily's smile disappears. She gently puts a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>Tony reaches up to her hand and takes it in his, stroking it gently. "... promise me... promise..."</p><p>"Promise...?"</p><p>Tony looks over at her and shakes his head. "Never mind. Let's just... let's just enjoy the movie."</p><p>"Okay," Emily murmurs. She shuffles closer to Tony and sighs, resting her head on his shoulder.</p><p>Emily can only hope that from here on out, things will get better.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Visitor in the Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Author's Note (Eliza): Late update- VERY late update... sorry. Anyways, fluff and some angst. Most likely needs more revising...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony had paused the movie to grab both himself and Emily some beer- leaving the latter to remain sitting on the couch, stroking the sleeping kitten in her lap. It's in that moment she hears it- a soft thud in one or the bedrooms across the hall. Emily lifts her head and looks over towards the kitchen. Tony is still there- struggling to open the bottles with the bottle opener, apparently. So Emily lifts Misty off her lap and sets her down gently on the cushion beside her, then gets up and walks out of the living room. She heads down the hall, shutting out all of the other distracting noises- the puppies' yips, Tony's griping, Misty's sleepy mews- and focuses her ears solely on the silent shuffles in the bedroom ahead. </p><p>Emily isn't sure if this is Tony's room or another guest room, but in any case it doesn't change the fact that someone is definitely in there. So when she's close enough, she leaps forward and swings open the door. </p><p>She stares, dumbfounded. The other person stares back, equally startled.</p><p>"Clint?" Emily whispers, her legs immobile. At first she feels joy- she and Clint had been close friends for many years and she hadn't seen him in- well, forever! Then she feels fear. What if Tony discovers that Clint is here? But despite his falling out with Steve, Tony still helped him. He took him to the hospital and afterwards brought him here when he could have turned Steve in just as easily. </p><p>Emily's rampant train of thought is interrupted when Clint unexpectedly pulls her into his arms. "Emily," he murmurs softly, his voice cracking with emotion. "Emily," he repeats, this time more firmly. "What're you doing here?"</p><p>"I work here now, Clint," Emily answers, returning the hug briefly before pulling away. She scrutinises him for a moment- he hasn't changed much since the last time she's seen him. A little more wrinkly for sure. And there's a certain weariness to his expression. "What are <em>you</em> doing here?"</p><p>"Funny, I was about to ask him the same thing," comes Tony's voice from the end of the hall. He walks over to them, an open bottle in each hand. He hands one to Emily and then focuses his attention on Clint.<em> "What</em> are you doing <em>here</em>, Barton? You get lost on your way back to the nest or something?"</p><p>"It's none of your business, Stark," Clint replies blandly. He looks over at Emily and his expression softens. "It's good to see you though, Emily."</p><p>Emily offers Clint a small smile. "Good to see you too, Minty Clinty." The Rogue Avenger responds to the gesture with a little nod and makes his way towards an open window- no doubt the one he climbed in through. He looks over at his friend one more time and gives her a wave before vanishing into the night.</p>
<hr/><p>Tony and Emily go back to watching the movie after Clint leaves. Emily can sense that Tony is not at ease, but she's not sure how to approach the topic without it turning into an argument. So she stays quiet, contemplating the situation, her thoughts getting stuck on an endless loop like someone kept pressing a replay button. Eventually, though, she falls asleep midway through the movie, slumped against Tony's side, her head resting partially on his shoulder and partially on his chest.</p><p>Tony is awake for a while longer, beginning to question his choices in the past couple of days. He had vowed never to get involved with Steve Rogers again and yet here he is, not only dating the man's daughter, but also getting dragged right back into the Captain's several decade-long mess. He should make them leave now. He knows he should.</p><p>So what is it that's stopping him?</p><p>If there <em>is</em> an answer, Tony falls asleep before he can grasp it.The movie is long over when he jerks awake from a loud crash in the kitchen. Blinking sleepily and grumbling incomprehensibly, he sees one of the puppies yelping like crazy as it's being chased by Dum-E, who is armed with a fire extinguisher.</p><p>Emily groans in her sleep, and lifts her head, yawning. "What's... what's going on?" she asks, her voice a little rough with sleep. The puppy leaps onto her lap, still yelping, and Dum-E promptly halts. The aforementioned robot stares at them a moment, as if considering something, and then raises the fire extinguisher.</p><p>"No, Dum-E!" Tony says, waving his hands in a "put it down" motion. "No fire extinguisher attacks!" Dum-E begrudgingly lowers its arm, no doubt pouting. Its rude beeps a couple of seconds later are confirmation of this. "Watch the language," Tony tells Dum-E in a disapproval. The machine snarks something back in its next set of beeps.</p><p>"You just earned yourself a time out, mister," the inventor informs Dum-E. "Go get the Dunce cap from the cabinet over there and go to your spot. Thirty minutes. Chop chop!" Emily bursts out laughing and cuddles the puppy close, who is still a bit frazzled from its encounter with Tony's robot. Said puppy whimpers softly and snuggles up to her gratefully. Dum-E wanders off to find the Dunce cap, still beeping in annoyance. Tony looks at Emily and smiles in amusement.</p><p>"Well, that was... quite the awakening," Emily remarks, glad for the momentary distraction from her troubling thoughts. Tony chuckles at that and lets Emily lean back against his side as she continues to practically coddle the puppy in her arms.</p><p>"Want to go back to sleep?" Tony asks quietly, hesitantly settling his arms around her shoulders. </p><p>"Sure," Emily replies, closing her eyes and sighing. It's not long before both of them are fast asleep.</p>
<hr/><p>The sun starts to rise, signaling the beginning of a new day. Tony is still fast asleep, but Emily is now wide awake and already up and about. She decides to spend some time in the training room- she remembers Happy showing it to her when she first arrived at the Tower. It takes a few minutes to retrace and find it, but she manages to do so without pestering Jarvis. </p><p>As Emily enters, she's startled to find Clint sitting in one of the room's chairs, fast asleep- with one end of his bow propped against the wooden floor and the other end propping up his head.</p><p>One of the puppies- who had apparently wandered in with Emily- sniffs his leg curiously. She wonders why Jarvis didn't alert her or Tony when Clint got into the Tower- twice. She wonders in the back of her mind if someone might have hacked Jarvis. Emily also doubts she'd get a straight answer from Clint about that if she asks. Still, she wasn't about to waste this opportunity to spend some time with her old friend and maybe learn about what he's been up to since the last time they saw each other- which was probably just a few months before the Battle of New York. Before Clint started disappearing for longer amounts of time for deep-cover missions. Before they stopped video-calling each other. Before they stopped messaging each other altogether.</p><p>Emily shakes her head and pokes Clint's cheek gently. Clint murmurs something unintelligible and hugs his bow closer. The younger superhero huffs in annoyance. Typical Clint. Apparently Hawkeye needs a little refresher on the phrase "early bird gets the worm". So, she does the one thing she knows will <em>definitely</em> wake him up- she licks his face.</p><p>Clint jerks awake, sputtering hilariously as he wipes his face and cringes in disgust. "Ack! Wha- who- Emily?!?!" </p><p>"Morning, Sleeping Beauty!" Emily greets, smiling a tense smile. </p><p>Clint gives his face one last wipe to make sure he got all the salvia off and looks up at Emily. "You know I hate it when you do that."</p><p>"Hmm, when I do what?" Emily asks, grabbing a nearby chair and setting it down. She sits down and scooches it forward a bit. "When I lick your face or when I call you 'Sleeping Beauty?'"</p><p>"You know full well the answer to that question," Clint says seriously, though the amused smile on his face betrays him. "So, you're not gonna out me to your new boyfriend upstairs?" Emily looks at Clint, visibly startled. The Hawkeye just keeps on smiling. "Emily, I'm a spy, not an idiot. I knew it the second I saw him last night. The way he looked at you..."</p><p>Emily doesn't say anything.</p><p>"Look, I'm not going to try and argue with you. You're as stubborn as heck and I know... you're not going to change your mind... but... if Tony <em>ever</em> hurts you, I'm putting an arrow through each of his eyes."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Talks & Shenanigans</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Emily and Clint spend the next half an hour chatting about unimportant things, like the weather and such. Soon the conversation turns towards Tony and his buying her a <em>dozen</em> puppies.</p><p>"You're <em>kidding??"</em> </p><p>Emily shakes her head, laughing. "Nope. Tony really did buy me a dozen puppies." She sighs softly, propping chin on her arms, which were resting on the back of her chair (she had turned said chair around at some point so she could sit more comfortably). She feels a slight pounding in her forehead- no doubt she's starting to develop another headache. <em>That's the fifth one this month,</em> she thinks. <em>Hmm, maybe I should take some Tylenol or something later.</em></p><p>"Hey, Clint," Emily says, hoping to distract herself from what would surely turn into a painful migraine later. "Watch this!" She stands up and closes her eyes as the magic washes over her body once more. She feels her body changing shape- her limbs contorting into different positions and her hair shortening. Within moments, she's on all fours and shaking her head, floppy ears bouncing around lightly, tail wagging. </p><p>She had morphed into a puppy. </p><p>Puppy Emily isn't done yet though- she takes this moment to snatch up Clint's bow in her teeth (the man had dropped it in shock when he saw her transform) and starts scurrying away.</p><p>Clint is on his feet in a flash and chases after her, laughing. "Hey, that's mine! Give it back!" He remembers years back she had done this twice before. Both times she had caught him completely by surprise. </p><p>Some things just never change.</p><p>Emily runs faster, skidding across the floor. The bow falls out of her mouth as she tumbles and rolls like a ball down the hallway, into the living room, and onto Tony's foot. Her butt slams against said foot and she looks up at him, yapping happily. The man is still sitting awkwardly on the couch, fast asleep. Well, he <em>was</em> asleep a few seconds ago.</p><p>Tony opens his eyes and looks down at Emily, yawning tiredly. He naturally doesn't recognise her in puppy form, so of course he probably thinks she's one of the puppies he bought. Tony picks her up, smiling, and asks in a cooing voice, "You hungry? I bet you're hungry."</p><p>Clint comes racing down the stairs and halts when he hears Tony's voice down the hall. He shuffles down the carpeted corridor silently and huddles in the shadowy corner, peering around to observe the scene. Emily squirms her way out of Tony's grasp and lands on the floor on her feet- <em>or paws</em>, Clint thinks to himself with an amused smile. Tony looks down at the puppy with a look of confusion as she begins running circles around his legs. The inventor just shrugs it off and decides to go fix himself some coffee.</p><p>A smirk spreads across Emily's lips. Or about as close to a smirk as you can get with a puppy's face. She was going to go scare Tony. She scurries into the kitchen, yapping loudly.</p><p>Tony literally jumps in surprise, knocking a mug off the counter. Thankfully it was just a plastic mug, so it clattered onto the time floor harmlessly, and rolled behind the still-under-reconstruction stove. He looks at the puppy and lets out an amused sigh. "You scared me!"</p><p><em>Just you wait, Tone Tone,</em> Emily thinks. <em>This is only the beginning.</em></p><p>Emily circles around his leg and in one large leap lands gracefully onto the counter. Emily then shifts back into her human form, now sitting on the counter with her legs crossed. She smirks at Tony and says, "My powers are good for a lot more than just my suit, y'know?"</p><p>Tony stares at her, blinking slowly, as he tries to comprehend what he's just seen. Then he falls backwards on to the floor in a faint.</p><p>Emily bursts out laughing, and slides off the counter onto her feet. She kneels down and checks to make sure Tony didn't bonk his head on the way down. He seems to be uninjured, Emily observes- just stunned.</p><p>Clint comes in to see Tony sprawled on the floor. He crosses his arms and looks up at Emily with a smirk. "I take it he had his mind blown?"</p><p>Emily nods, snickering. "You should probably get going before he comes to."</p><p>"Yeah, I should," Clint amends in agreement. He gives Emily a soft smile and a wave before turning around and heading towards one of the nearby windows.</p><p>Meanwhile, Emily picks up the plastic mug that was on the floor and fills it with cold water. Then she splashes Tony's face, hoping this will wake him up a bit. "Ack!" Tony sputters, spitting out the water and wiping his face frantically. He looks up at Emily. "I just had the weirdest dream."</p><p>"What was the dream about?"</p><p>"That one of the puppies I bought transformed into you," Tony explains. Then a confused loom appears on his face. "Wait... why am I on the floor?"</p><p>"You fainted cuz I shape-shifted into a puppy." Emily replies. "Well, technically <em>you</em> saw <em>me</em> turn from a puppy back into myself- uhh- crap, I'm mixed up now." She laughs and shakes her head.</p><p><em>"Sir, Miss Potts is here to see you. Should I let her in?"</em> Jarvis asks. </p><p>"Pepper?" Tony blinks, visibly shaken. "Um- yeah, sure, I guess. Yeah."</p><p>Within a couple of minutes or so, the elevator doors across the room <em>ding</em> and slide open. Into the room steps none other than Pepper Potts herself, just as Jarvis said.</p><p>"Should I, umm..." Emily pauses. "I think I'm gonna go visit Peter... I'll be back later." Before Tony can protest, Emily had already clambered out the window Clint had left through and was gone.</p><p>Pepper looks after Emily, startled, and then shakes her head. She settles her gaze on Tony, her eyes uncertain. "I came to apologize for... for leaving. For leaving you. I'll make it up to you-"</p><p>Tony immediately shakes his head. "No, Pepper. I trusted you once. You lost the <em>right</em> to that trust when you <em>left</em> me... and I'm afraid that if I let you come back into my life, you'll leave again. And I have a new girlfriend now- Emily. And... well, the truth is... I like her. I like her a lot. Sure yeah, she's not perfect. But... I've got a feeling about her. I can't explain it. Maybe I'll never be able to explain it..." There is a long pause as Tony considers his next words. "If you wanna be friends, then I'm cool with that. But nothing more than that, okay?"</p><p>Pepper sighs in disappointment, but she manages to offer the man a somewhat strained smile. "Okay. I understand, Tony. And I respect your wishes. Friends... friends is good."</p><p>Tony smiles. "Thanks, Pep. Now I better head down to the lab and see what precious hardware Dum-E might've destroyed- y'know, just last night, he woke us up chasing around one of the puppies with a fire extinguisher."</p><p>Pepper bursts out laughing- she can definitely see that happening. Stark Tower has certainly had its fair share of crazy happenings. "You're joking," she says.</p><p>Tony shakes his head. "Nope! Scarred the puppy for life, probably-" And so the inventor plunges into an overly-ish-embellished retelling of last night's events.</p>
<hr/><p>A couple of hours later, Peter and Emily come back to Stark Tower and barge into Tony's lab, yammering hysterically as if they had eaten twenty tons of pure sugar.</p><p>Which they kinda did.</p><p>Tony, who's sitting at his workbench, looks up from an invention he is working on and sees Emily and Peter racing towards him. "Hey, Kitten! How'd it go with Peter?"</p><p>Emily blushes at the nickname and practically flings herself onto Tony's lap as she slurs excitedly, "We got like super <em>super SUPER </em>hyper!!"</p><p>Tony raises an amused eyebrow. "I can tell. What'd you do, eat a thousand Chocolate Swirlies??"</p><p>"No, we went to a candy factory!" Peter answers, popping a sour candy into his mouth. He then takes a bag out of his back pocket and shovels more candy into his mouth.</p><p>Emily huffs in annoyance and reaches for the bag, leaning forward so much that she almost falls off Tony's lap. "Heeeeyyyy, ever hear of <em>sharing?!" </em>The tatoo on the crook of her elbow is exposed.</p><p>"'Who's caring?'" Peter snarks back, still high on sugar and apparently in the mood for making obscure-ish references to cartoon vampire ducks.</p><p>Tony sees the tattoo and reads it. "'Property of Tony Stark.' I'm both flattered and concerned- did you get this <em>before</em> or <em>after</em> you got high on sugar?"</p><p>Emily just shrugs carelessly. "I dunno- I don't even remember getting it."</p><p>Tony makes a mental note to keep an eye on Emily's sugar intake in the future.</p><p>Peter looks ups at Tony, a smirk on his face. "Hey, Mister Stark- you wanna see something funny?"</p><p>"If it's not gonna explode in my face, then yeah," Tony relies. <em>Pretty sure it's gonna explode in my face.</em></p><p>Peter shakes his head in amusement and takes out a laser pointer. He points it at the ground and turns it on, then starts playing the light back and forth across the floor. Emily sees the light and leaps off Tony's lap, scrabbling after the little red dot just like a cat.</p><p>Tony starts laughing hysterically. </p><p>Emily continues chasing after it and crashes right into Loki's feet in the process. This time Jarvis couldn't be faulted for not alerting Tony or the others- Loki's shape-shifting abilities likely helped him to break in undetected.</p><p>Tony is up on his feet in an instant and is pulling Emily away from the Jotun. <em>"You,"</em> Tony hisses. </p><p>"Good afternoon to you as well," Loki replies in greeting, giving the other man a smirk and a nod. </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Eliza: scsjdjdjfjd Yes, I snuck in a very obscure reference to a certain cartoon involving vampire ducks and goosie wampire hunters- 😹😹😹😹 I couldn't help myself skdjsjdj</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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